The view from the rail · Faq
The view from the rail in Harrisburg: the questions parents ask
Short answers to the things worth knowing in advance.
Everything happens in one room. There is no wandering off to another floor and no moment of not knowing where they are.
A Harrisburg school holiday runs out of ideas by about day three. This is a day-three answer rather than a day-one one.
The short answers
The measure of a family attraction is not what the children do, it is what the adults do while they do it. Standing where you can see and hear them counts for a lot.
Phones come out, and for once the photographs are worth keeping: a full bucket, a spin, a first lap without the wall.
The longer answers
The pace is slow enough to talk over. Parents end up chatting at the rail rather than shouting over a soundtrack.
Two shorter visits teach a child more than one long one. The second time they already know what they want to try, and that is when the good part starts.
Still worth asking on the day
Everything happens in one room. There is no wandering off to another floor and no moment of not knowing where they are.
The measure of a family attraction is not what the children do, it is what the adults do while they do it. Standing where you can see and hear them counts for a lot.
Questions parents ask
Can I watch the whole time?
The activity is in one room and the viewing is from the rail or the boards.
Is it loud?
It is a children attraction rather than an arcade. The machines are slow and the noise is mostly the children.
What are the opening hours?
10:00 AM to 8:00 PM Monday to Saturday, and 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sunday.
Where is New Life Entertainment?
Two centres: 433 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville TN 37214, and 8111 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord NC 28027.
Planning your visit in Harrisburg
Coming in from Harrisburg with more than one child, the useful thing to know is that the room does not need to be rationed - there is more than one thing to do at the same time.
If it is the first time, do not also make it a birthday. Learning a place and celebrating in it are two different visits.
Bring a snack for afterwards rather than during. Hungry children leave early and full children want to stay.
Plenty of the families in the room on a weekday morning have come from somewhere like Harrisburg. Nobody is local to a mall attraction; everybody has driven.
The practical details
- XCAV ZONE — 433 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville TN 37214: four child-operated machines over a ball pit.
- ICE PARK — 8111 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord NC 28027: a real rink with bumper cars on the ice.
- Opening hours — 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM Monday to Saturday, 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sunday.
- Phone — +1 (424) 387-6232 · +1 (615) 968-4925
- E-mail — info@newlife-entertainment.com
The two centres are at 433 Opry Mills Drive in Nashville and 8111 Concord Mills Blvd in Concord, open 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM most days and 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sunday.